Martyn's Law Readiness
The Terrorism (Protection of Premises) Act 2025 places new legal duties on venues. Here is what applies to you, and what to do about it.
Page reviewed October 2026 and updated as official guidance develops. General information, not legal advice.
Does Martyn's Law apply to you?
The Act covers premises and events where 200 or more people may reasonably be expected. Below that number it does not apply.
Some premises are out of scope entirely:
- Central government and transport premises, which operate under their own regimes
- Parks, gardens and open spaces, unless they hold ticketed events
Some stay in the Standard Tier whatever their size:
- Places of worship, where worship is the main use and entry is free
- Childcare, primary, secondary and further education premises, even above 800 people
Higher education is not in that group and can reach the Enhanced Tier. If a school or college has been told it faces Enhanced Tier duties, check that before you spend anything.
Which tier you are in
Standard Tier
Put public protection procedures in place and notify the regulator. The focus is preparedness, not capital spending.
Enhanced Tier
Procedures, plus public protection measures, a documented assessment, and a named senior individual accountable for compliance.
Capacity is not only your average day. Recurring large events can move premises into the Enhanced Tier, which catches out venues that assess themselves on a quiet Tuesday.
The four procedures
Qualifying premises must have public protection procedures in place so far as is reasonably practicable, and staff must be able to carry them out. A written plan nobody has walked through does not meet the standard.
- Evacuation. Getting people out of the premises safely.
- Invacuation. Bringing people in, or moving them to a safer part of the building.
- Lockdown. Securing the premises against someone trying to enter.
- Communication. Alerting staff and the public, and getting information to whoever is making decisions.
Where several organisations share a site, the Act requires them to co-ordinate. Shopping centres, multi-occupancy buildings and shared event spaces need to agree who owns what.
Penalties
The Security Industry Authority is the regulator.
- Standard Tier: up to £10,000, with daily penalties up to £500 where non-compliance continues.
- Enhanced Tier and qualifying events: up to £18 million or 5% of qualifying worldwide revenue, whichever is greater, with daily penalties up to £50,000.
The SIA can also issue restriction notices limiting how premises are used. For a venue that means closed doors and cancelled bookings.
Three things worth knowing:
- The SIA does not audit to a published schedule and will not warn you first.
- It will not review your plans for you.
- It endorses no consultancy. Anyone claiming SIA approval does not have it.
In Scotland, enforcement runs through the Procurator Fiscal. Guidance written for England and Wales does not describe your position.
Martyn's Law Readiness Review
One engagement that establishes where you stand and what to do about it.
- Premises assessment and tier determination
- Threat and vulnerability review
- Gap analysis against the duties that apply to you
- Review of your existing documentation and procedures
- Response and evacuation arrangements assessed
- Staff awareness considerations
- Prioritised written action plan
- Management briefing on the findings
Scoped and quoted on your premises. Most venues need one review and nothing further until guidance changes.
How we assess
Assessments follow the ProtectUK Risk Management Process, the national standard for counter-terrorism risk, built on ISO 31000. Five stages: identify, assess, treat, record, review.
Recommendations are tested against the JASPAR principles, so what reaches you is justifiable, achievable and affordable.
Controls are set out against Deter, Detect, Delay, Respond and Recover, so you can see what each measure buys you.
If you would rather not commission anyone
The government has written the guidance so that those in scope can comply without buying consultancy. If you have the time and the people, that is a legitimate route and we have published the material to support it.
The Martyn's Law Readiness Toolkit gives you the reference and the assessment method, tailored specifically to Scotland. The free readiness check takes twelve questions and tells you where the gaps are. Toolkit customers who later book a Readiness Review have the toolkit price credited against it.
If the review finds work to do
- Counter-Terrorism Preparedness Plan. The statutory procedures written for your premises, layout and staffing.
- Terrorism Risk Assessment. A standalone assessment of threat, likelihood and impact across your site.
- Testing and exercising. A tabletop exercise with the people who would use the plan, and a facilitator report.
- Enhanced Tier support. Public protection measures, documented assessment, and support for your named senior individual.
- Ongoing support. Retained advice, or an annual review to keep your documentation current.
Most venues need one or two of these.
What we will not claim
No consultancy can guarantee your compliance, and you should be wary of any that says it can. The regulator endorses nobody.
The government has written the guidance so that those in scope can comply without buying consultancy. What we sell is time saved and experience applied. The legal responsibility stays with you.
Official sources: the Terrorism (Protection of Premises) Act 2025, the Home Office statutory guidance, and SIA guidance.
Find out where you stand.
The Act is expected to commence no earlier than April 2027, though the date has not been confirmed. Starting now gives you time to do it properly.
Check your Martyn's Law position